Will Davis - Copyright 2010. Nuclear energy news, insight and analysis. Coverage of events world wide, including new plant construction, operation of plants now in service, and shutdown and decommissioning of plants. APR emphasizes the technology of nuclear energy, as well as the history of the development of that technology. Your #1 nuclear energy source!

APR: your source for nuclear news and analysis since April 16, 2010

Monday, April 11, 2011

Level change note...

Apparently the official word by the NSC in Japan of the raising of the INES level for the Fukushima Daiichi accident is coming soon at a press conference. Although it's not official, it's on every news wire in Japan, was reported by Mr. Nishiyama of the NISA and also by Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano, so that all that's really left to do is have an NSC spokesman confirm it. Half an hour ago, Mr. Edano said the announcement would come soon.

3 comments:

I think raising the INES level to 7 (if the rumours are true) is a mis-step. The general description of INES levels implies a possible raise to level 6, but even then the off-site damage has been so limited that this would be a stretch. I would confess that the assignment of level 5 to Three-Mile Island seems a stretch to me, as well.

Perhaps the government is factoring its own fears into the level.

The IAEA might perhaps venture, if it is bold enough, to re-interpret the level.

the entire ines scale is quite muddled, there are several possible criteria for assigning each level, putting TMI on the same level of windscale, and fukushima as worse than kyshtym seem to emphasize the problems with this scale.